If it’s Tuesday it must be Tulum

It’s Tuesday and Pronatours arranged my excursion to Tulum, one of the most significant Mayan ruins dating back to 1200. Large stone palaces, pyramids and temples rose on a cliff high above the inviting Caribbean.

There’s something so magical and mystical about the Mayan ruins … and so many unanswered questions. The Mayans were such an advanced culture and light years ahead of their time. While the Aztecs were warriors, the Mayans focused on science and spiritual issues. Along with the 13-month Mayan calendar with each month consisting of 28 days coinciding with the female cycle, they also developed an extensive trading network along the Caribbean coastline and traded with other indigenous people.

Brilliant Mayan architects designed Tulum, the walled city. The elite lived in the palaces within the walls and the common folks outside of the walls. I guess they even had gated communities in ancient days. These structures were built out of rock and covered with a stucco exterior. Elaborate and colorful frescoes were painted with natural pigments within the inner chamber of the Temple of the Frescoes. Bas relief masks are carved on the temple’s corners, and carved figures reside in the niches below the roof and above the temple pillars.

Just like the ancient Micronesians, the ingenious Mayans were expert astronomers and relied upon celestial navigation. The Mayans built their temples and pyramids to align perfectly with the rising sun to indicate the equinox and solstice. This system was developed to keep track of time, and reveal when it was time to plant their fields and venture to the sea.

Like other mysteries in the universe, the Mayan mystery has never been unraveled as to why they disappeared from Tulum after the Spaniard’s arrival. With centuries of jungle overgrowth, Tulum was rediscovered on an archeological expedition by explorers John L. Stephens and Frederick Catherwood in 1842. Following their visit, they published Incidents of Travel in Yucatan with Catherwood’s illustrations complimenting Stephen’s text.

Be sure to add Tulum to your ‘must see’ list while you’re in the Yucatan Peninsula. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the one to solve this Mayan mystery.